Somehow I acquired a couple destroyer carbines. It shoots the 9mm largo round. It's a neat little rifle and fun to play with but how practical I don't know. There are other choices for a pistol caliber rifle. Any thoughts?
Printable View
Somehow I acquired a couple destroyer carbines. It shoots the 9mm largo round. It's a neat little rifle and fun to play with but how practical I don't know. There are other choices for a pistol caliber rifle. Any thoughts?
It is as useful as any pistol caliber bolt action would be. Small game/medium game/defense out to 100 yards.
Shoot 38 supers out of it. Probably best if you load them down to .38acp specs. These are 1937 Spanish civil war relics if I remember correctly. I have never seen one in person. I guess they did not make it down to my area.
I like the fact that I can learn something new every day.....I have never heard of a Destroyer carbine till it ws brought up.
So I did the search:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer_carbine
http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4...w=1259&bih=582
I'm guessing they are of very limited use?
gotta love destroyers, nice short rifle, decent round. Get some commercial brass like Norma and Essex and reload til your hearts content. The Largo can be loaded up and down and actually are a decent woods walk rifle due to its size. The magazines are SOLID and the rifle is actually well made, very simple mechanics. Sarco carries parts and mags for them. The parts are easy to make actually. About 15 years ago they were all over the place like Mosins are now. You can often find surplus Largo ammo avail, just look in shotgun news and the usual suspects for C&R guns and ammo.
I have 4 of them here for sale at $115 each. If you have a gun with the Spainish Crown on the receiver, then it is about $200. Magazines with the crown are going for about $35-$50.
What to watch out for.... brittle firing pins and brittle FP springs. A few had a issue with the rifling peeling out when people used HOT Brazilian ammo. The rifling lands would actually be sticking out the front of the muzzle like long curly springs, still attached to the inside of the muzzle.
They can if you wish be re-barreled to other pistol calibers fairly cheaply. The magazine will hold many different rounds if you do decide to change it to another caliber.
Star made a bunch of pistols called the Star Modello that are Colt 1911 look alikes from the 1920's in the 9mm Largo and there were a couple other rifles made for the 9mm largo. The Stars can be found often on gunbroker for a decent price. Astra also made a really nice pistol for the 9mm largo called the 400 in the 1920's. It lends itself to being very popular with the suppressor crowd because it is so easy to adapt. The Bayard Bergman is the collector pistol of the whole group and can fetch really high sums.
If you do not have a rifle and pistol in this round, grab one up and have a lot of fun. There are 20 round stick mags for the Destrpyer avail on the cheap as well as a 1930's DRUM mag that holds 35 rounds that the Germans made for it.
There is a ton of YUGO steel cased bullets with a small penetrator in the bullet, the shell case are a bi metal and these are REALLY CHEAP, like 5 cents a round but are reliable and will go through a telephone pole with ease. Nothing surplus is reloadable. Commercial ammo is avail.
they are a neat little rifle, poor mans rook rifle perhaps? LOL. I have a star pistol too but I don't really subscribe to a pistol/rifle combo. Nevertheless they are a lot of fun. It don't look like there is a crown on my rifles. I have lots of brass and dies to go along with them. I don't see this little rifle being of much use. I thought about converting it over but really couldn't come up with a round any better than the 9mm bergman in this case.
Do you have a link or info on those yugo bullets?
Attachment 6657Hello all,
Just a quick note to say that the little Destroyer carbine is a ball to shoot and as deadly as any small caliber rifle I own. For some reason it is one of the two rifles that I can actually hit something with using iron sights and bi-focals. The factory ammo 125gn/ 1120MV/352ME is a potent little rascal and the carbine carries nicely and points like a dream. My Destroyer is in the safe at this point but I will dig it out to see if it has the crown.
randyt take one of your new treasures and try plinking with it, I can throw a soup can into the back yard and keep it going through an entire clip.
BTW I am new to your forum, seems like a great place you have here. Take care and God bless....cordell
Welcome. Why not stop by our Introduction section and tell us something about yourself?